Research volunteer vs graduate research student

The differences between research volunteers and graduate research students can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a research volunteer has an average salary of $54,668, which is higher than the $34,658 average annual salary of a graduate research student.

The top three skills for a research volunteer include lab procedures, cell culture and laboratory techniques. The most important skills for a graduate research student are lab equipment, laboratory equipment, and python.

Research volunteer vs graduate research student overview

	Research Volunteer	Graduate Research Student
Yearly salary	$54,668	$34,658
Hourly rate	$26.28	$16.66
Growth rate	19%	19%
Number of jobs	50,334	58,921
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age	38	44
Years of experience	2	-

Research volunteer vs graduate research student salary

Research volunteers and graduate research students have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Research Volunteer	Graduate Research Student
Average salary	$54,668	$34,658
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $85,000	Between $19,000 And $60,000
Highest paying City	-	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	-	Pennsylvania
Best paying company	-	Capgemini
Best paying industry	-	Education

Differences between research volunteer and graduate research student education

There are a few differences between a research volunteer and a graduate research student in terms of educational background:

	Research Volunteer	Graduate Research Student
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	Harvard University	Stanford University

Research volunteer vs graduate research student demographics

Here are the differences between research volunteers' and graduate research students' demographics:

	Research Volunteer	Graduate Research Student
Average age	38	44
Gender ratio	Male, 38.7% Female, 61.3%	Male, 47.2% Female, 52.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 16.9% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 11.8% White, 54.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	6%

Differences between research volunteer and graduate research student duties and responsibilities

Research volunteer example responsibilities.

Evaluate patients' study eligibility via medical history, obtain informed consent, enroll patients, and achieve enrollment quotas.
Assist in monitoring MRI scans.
Assist in cloning and expression for RNA research.
Analyze cell lysates and purify proteins by SDS-PAGE electrophoresis.
Design a PowerPoint presentation to teach senior adults about email accounts.
Assist with laboratory experiments, collect data and DNA samples, contribute to lab protocols.

Graduate research student example responsibilities.

Evaluate patients' study eligibility via medical history, obtain informed consent, enroll patients, and achieve enrollment quotas.
Conduct molecular and cellular biology research techniques including DNA, RNA and protein isolation and analysis
Assist in organic chemistry laboratory on synthesis of molecule that behaves as fluorescent switch with cation binding properties
Perform Parkinson's psychological test on undergraduate students at UCLA and analyze data using statistical analysis software SPSS.
Analyze data using SAS statistical software, and map populations using GIS.
Summarize statistics from SAS outputs for USDA research grant investigating WIC and food insecurity.

Research volunteer vs graduate research student skills

Common research volunteer skills

Lab Procedures, 11%
Cell Culture, 8%
Laboratory Techniques, 7%
Data Collection, 6%
R, 4%
RT-PCR, 4%

Common graduate research student skills

Lab Equipment, 11%
Laboratory Equipment, 6%
Python, 6%
C++, 5%
Chemistry, 5%
Cell Culture, 5%

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Research Volunteer
Research Volunteer vs Graduate Research Student

Updated January 8, 2025

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